Twitches
by TheBagelBug
Summary: "Moving on's a process. I don't think you have anything to be sorry for." Travis kept telling him he needed to move on. He thought he had...or at least that's what he kept telling himself. That was before he saw Alex on a date, though. Now he had to deal with that, his insufferable partner, couples' counseling, and these new twitches he felt whenever SHE was around.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone. Are we all enjoying Common Law so far? I know I am! This story came about from asking myself what would help Wes move on from Alex. It breaks my heart to see that man so broken up. He wants her back _so_ bad and Alex's just getting on with her life (Respect, woman). So I hope you all enjoy this! There is an O/C which I, personally, usually hate, but I wrote one for Suits and that turned out okay and then this one popped in my head and wouldn't go away until I started writing. Just be sure to let me know what you think! **

**This story is told in the third person but almost entirely from Wes's point of view. Emphasis on _almost_.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Common Law.**

* * *

**Chapter One: The Spare Bed**

Wes still hadn't found a place to live. His house…_Alex's_ house had been perfect. Everything he had ever wanted that house had. The lawn…oh, that lawn still haunted his dreams. Grass patches he had hand-picked.

So that way why he was still living in a hotel. And why he was sitting at that hotel's bar after a long day of complicated casework and dealing with that pain in the ass he called a partner.

He was almost finished with his beer when, two stools down, a woman slumped down with an exhausted and miserable harrumph.

"I need a glass of the strongest stuff you've got," she said to the bartender.

The woman behind the bar raised her eyebrows at the other woman's state. She placed a tumbler on the bar top and turned for a bottle of dark liquid. She filled the glass a quarter full. The upset woman grabbed the glass and poured the drink down her throat, sputtering almost immediately.

"Gah," she choked. "That burns!" Wes smirked. The bartender chuckled softly and made to place the bottle back in its spot. "Leave it," she demanded.

The bartender poured a splash more into the glass."Drinking away sorrows?" she asked the woman.

"You have no idea," she answered after drowning the glass again. "My car was just stolen." Wes perked up at this. "I drove here from Phoenix—"

"I'm sorry," Wes interrupted "Did you just say you're _car_ was stolen?"

"Yes…" she said slowly.

"Have you called the police?" he asked.

"The police?" she asked stupidly. "Huh, what a novel idea! I should totally do that—oh, wait, my phone was in my car!" she said angrily. "Really, 'call the police,'" she scoffed. "What an original thought."

Wes smiled and reached for his badge. Truly, it might not have been the smartest question.

"Detective Mitchell," he introduced himself, showing her his shield. Her eyes widened at the sight. "Robbery and Homicide."

"Oh, my God," she groaned apologetically. "It's been such a long day."

"It's okay," Wes said, holding up a hand to stop her. "If you give me your information I'll call it in for you." He handed her a paper napkin and a pen, asking her to write down the car's description. She hadn't been able to remember the license plate number though. "Yeah, this is Detective Mitchell. I need to report a five-oh-three. It's a 2009 black Buick Enclave. Plates are unknown but it's registered to a..." he looked questioningly to the woman. He had yet to learn her name.

"Sophia Peters," she complied.

Wes relayed the information and told the dispatcher where Sophia had said she was when it was stolen (which happened to be the fast food burger joint across the street from the hotel. She had run in to use the restroom only to come back out missing a car). He asked who the primary officer would be since he wasn't currently on duty and requested to be kept appraised of any new information before hanging up the phone.

"Thank you so much for this. I feel really bad for being so awful to you earlier," she said.

"It's fine. Having a car stolen is stressful," he said. "Would you like me to call you a cab home?"

She laughed uncomfortably. "Funny thing," she said. "I don't have a home here. I was called out here for a job. They needed me to start right away so I packed up and left. I was just going to stay in a hotel until I found a place."

"Oh. What hotel were you planning on staying at?"

"A Hilton across town. I don't really feel like getting back in a car though. I think I'll try to get a room here instead." She reached into her bag and pulled out her wallet to pay for her drinks. "Thankfully I had at least had the sense to keep my purse with me."

Wes asked for his drinks to be billed to his room and offered to walk with Sophia to the front desk.

"If you're a cop in the area, why are you staying at a hotel?" she asked curiously as they walked.

"It's sort of complicated," he answered vaguely. "Hey Sarah," he greeted the woman behind the front desk. "Miss Peters here needs to book a room."

"Hi," Sophia said with a small wave.

"Good evening," Sarah greeted, smiling enthusiastically. "Bringing in business for us, Mr. Mitchell?"

"I try to do my part," he said, leaning against the counter.

Sarah typed away at her computer. "Miss Peters, was it?" Sophia nodded. "I'm afraid we're all booked for tonight. We won't have any available rooms until tomorrow afternoon."

Sophia sighed, dejected. Nothing was going right for her it seemed.

"You're completely full?" Wes asked shocked.

"I know we don't look it," Sarah said. "But there's a middle school marching band staying here now for a competition. That on top of everyone else has packed us up."

Wes knocked on the countertop thinking.

"Okay, well is there another hotel nearby within walking distance?" Sophia asked.

Sarah was about to reply when Wes cut her off.

"I do have another bed in my room," he suggested slowly.

Sophia turned to him, wide-eyed. "What?"

"I know it's not ideal, but you could stay in my room for the night. Sarah could book you a new room for tomorrow." He nodded to the young woman behind the desk. She too appeared surprised that he had suggested she stay with him.

Sophia thought it over, or at least it looked like that was what she was doing.

"Of course if you're uncomfortable with it then..." he trailed off.

"I guess...I mean, if you're going to stay in a room with a complete stranger, better for it to be a cop, right?"

Wes could still see her obvious trepidation. "Honestly, if you're uncomfortable with it then I'll help you find somewhere else."

She was quiet again for a moment.

"No, if you really don't mind...I'll stay with you," she said slowly.

He minded a little. He didn't know her at all. But he felt bad about her sequence of unfortunate events. It was like Murphy's Law was making her its example.

* * *

He showed her to the room and called for housekeeping to drop off new bath towels for her.

"I'm pretty sure this goes way beyond your civic duties," she said with a bit of a laugh in her voice as she sat down on her bed.

He only responded with an uncomfortable chuckle as he took a seat on his own bed.

"So Detective Mitchell," she began.

"Call me Wes," he insisted.

"Okay, Wes, why are you living in a hotel?" she asked with a smile.

"Uh." Hadn't be told her it was a long story? "I got divorced. My ex is staying at the house."

"Oh, that sucks. You haven't found another place yet?"

He hadn't bothered looking yet.

"No. My partner says I'm picky," he explained with a sneer.

"Oy. I am too. I hope that doesn't mean I won't be able to find a place," she said.

"I'm sure you'll be fine." Now he felt bad for lying.

There was a knock on the door and Wes got up to answer it. The towels had been brought up. He placed the fresh washcloths on the counter next to the sink and hung the towels up on the rack by the shower. He walked back into the room to the closet and opened the safe inside. He took his jacket off and took his gun from the holster at the back of his pants.

"Don't you want to check if I have any weapons before you lock that up?" Sophia asked with a smirk as Wes was placing his gun in the safe.

"Do you have any weapons?" he asked, his hand frozen inside the safe as he was setting it down.

"No," she answered.

"Okay, then," he said with a nod and shut the safe door, locking it.

"You're not even going to check?" she asked incredulously.

Wes sighed and walked over to her bed. "Would you mind if I went through your purse to make sure you don't have weapons?"

Sophia smiled and handed him her purse. "If it'll make you feel safe," she teased. She laid down on the bed. Her legs still hung off and she placed her head in her hand as he turned to his bed and turned the black leather bag upside-down to empty it.

Wes guffawed at her words. He was much taller than her and she was so slender he was such he'd be able to overpower her even if she did attempt to threaten his life.

"I'm surprised you didn't check earlier. You must not be a very good detective."

He turned around, insulted until he saw her playful smile.

"You know it's not too late. I could still kick you out of here," he replied; he decided to try to not be so serious. She'd had a rough day after all. He looked back to the contents of her purse on the bed. "And what's this?" He held up a small black rectangular shaped item.

"That would be a pocket knife," she answered. "Do you need to lock that up in the safe?"

He smiled and sat down on the bed next to her bag. He flipped open all the little gadgets.

"This is a nice one. You know, I don't think I've ever met a girl who carried one of these around," he commented.

"Well, I am a _woman_ who has found use for one. So I carry that around," she said sitting up.

Wes's eyebrow tweaked up in amusement and he began placing her non-threatening items back into her purse.

"I'll do that," she said, standing up. He stood as well to give her space.

"The towels are in the bathroom, whenever you want to shower," he said.

"You can go ahead. It's been a long day. Taking a long shower sounds like a really good idea."

"Right, well, I normally shower in the morning," he explained.

"Oh, okay then I'll go ahead." She placed her purse back on her bed and walked into the bathroom.

Wes stood and walked to the sink once he heard the door close behind her. He listened as he brushed his teeth to the water turning on. The door opened just as he was wiping his face. Sophia was standing in the doorway, surprised to find him right there, in only a towel and her dark hair pulled up messily.

"Washcloths?" she asked simply.

He pointed to the small pile of them to her left. She gave a soft "ah" and picked one up. His eyes took in her olive skin stretched over her clavicle. When she turned back into the bathroom his eyes fell to her legs. Those hotel towels really were too small. He felt a small twitch of arousal and attraction deep within him. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.

He shook his head to clear away those thoughts before they traveled any further. He changed quickly into his pajamas. Usually he slept shirtless—he tossed a lot in this hotel bed and his shirts always felt like they were constricting him as a snake would—but since he had company that night, he decided he should don an old law school shirt.

"Did you want to borrow something to sleep in?" he asked loudly from his bed as he heard her open the door from the bathroom.

She walked out, already dressed back into the jeans and blouse she had arrived in.

"No, it's okay. I can sleep in this," she answered. "Thanks, though."

She settled herself down into her bed and sighed heavily.

"You'll need to fill out an official report at the precinct for your car. I can give you a ride there tomorrow morning," Wes offered.

"Okay, that'd be great," she said with a nod. "I'm so happy I ended up at that bar next to you," she laughed. "Tonight could have ended _way_ different. Of course I suppose you could still kill me in my sleep."

Wes shook his head. "Nah, too many people saw you with me. The bartender; and Sarah heard me offering my spare bed. There'd be no way for me to get away with it."

"Lucky me you think that way," she laughed. "What time do you go into work?"

"Eight-thirty," he replied. "I'll set the alarm for seven, okay?" He fiddled with the clock on the nightstand next to him as she hummed an affirmation. "Night," he said.

He reached for the lamp and turned off the light. Darkness overtook them. They both tossed and turned for a while in their attempts to get comfortable. It was a lost cause for Wes; his shirt was already twisted around his torso and was making him sweat.

But soon it was morning.

* * *

Wes had woken up earlier than he had intended. It was nearly six in the morning when he was jolted awake by a dream he couldn't remember. He looked to his right, seeing the outline of a woman's body in the other bed next to his. He rose and quickly showered before heading downstairs. His watch read a little after seven when he arrived back outside his hotel room. He crept inside as quietly as he could, not sure if his new roommate would be awake yet.

"Hey," her groggy voice called as he came into her view. She was sitting up on the edge of her bed fixing her dark brown hair into a ponytail.

"Morning," Wes greeted. "I went down to the gift shop and got you a toothbrush." He tossed the small bag he was carrying to her.

"Oh, awesome. Thank you," she gushed.

"I brought you up a plan bagel too." He placed the brown paper bag on the nightstand for her.

"Wow, thanks. Seems like you've had practice with this sort of thing," she suggested.

"With what sort of thing?"

"You know, buying a woman some essentials after a night together."

"No," Wes denied. "I just...when I was brushing my teeth earlier, it occurred to me that you didn't have a toothbrush in your purse when I checked it so went down to get you one when I went out for breakfast."

"Sure," she said disbelievingly. She was smirking while she said it though, making him believe it wasn't meant to be offensive.

* * *

Wes was explaining what information she would need to provide for a report when they entered the precinct together.

"Hey, yo, Wes!" Travis called. "We got a hit on the sketch—oh, hello." Travis smiled charmingly as he noticed a new woman with his partner.

"Travis this is Sophia Peters," Wes introduced. He couldn't help the annoyance that crept into his tone as he noticed his partner's flirtatious smile. Was he physically incapable of _not_ being attracted to anything feminine?

"Hello there," Travis greeted. "Sophia—what a beautiful name."

"Thank you," she said. "I actually prefer Sophie, though."

"Still beautiful," he flirted.

She laughed. "I bet you say that to all the girls who come in here looking to file a report."

"A report?" he asked. He looked to Wes for an explanation.

"Sophie's"—he'd have to remember she preferred _Sophie_—"car was stolen last night not far from my hotel. She sat down next to me at the bar and I called it in. Amy and Kate are handling it. Do you know if they're in?"

"Amy's in the break room," he answered. "Your car got stolen?" he asked Sophie. "That's terrible. Did Wes give you a ride home then?"

Wes's hackles rose as he felt the need to be defensive. Travis was fishing for information regarding any personal relationship that may have developed between him and Sophie. It was just such a..._Travis_ thing to do.

"No, I actually didn't have a place to stay. It's sort of a long story. Thankfully Wes had a spare bed in his room. The entire hotel was booked."

"You stayed in Wes's room?" Travis asked innocently curious. _Too innocent_. He looked to Wes with raised brows. "How nice of you, Wes."

Wes coughed uncomfortably and quickly made the excuse of going to find Amy to get him and Sophie away from Travis.

* * *

"Dude," Travis expressed when Wes returned to his desk after leaving Sophie to fill out her report. "You offered her a place in your room."

"She slept on the other bed," he said irritated. He may as well answer all of Travis's inquiries now about the previous night. He would only continue asking them if he didn't.

"Please tell me you made a move on her, man!" he urged.

"That would have been unprofessional."

"You weren't on duty!"

"We can't all have your loose morals, Travis. Now, you said we got a hit?"

"This isn't over," Travis insisted but then began discussing the case much to Wes's relief.

* * *

Sophie found the two detectives once she had finished with her report.

"Well, thanks again for everything," she told Wes. "Really, I can't thank you enough."

"It's no problem," he deflected with a small smile. "I'm just sorry that this happened to you."

"I would like to repay you. Why don't you let me take you out to dinner sometime this week? My treat as a thank you," she said with a charming smile of her own.

"No, really, it was no trouble," he answered. Travis shook his head in disappointment.

"Okay," Sophie said with a bit less cheer. "Well thanks again." She turned. "Travis, right?"

"Yes, Travis Marks," he affirmed. He held her proffered hand in both of his.

"It was really nice meeting you," she said politely.

"You too," he said.

She waved to Wes as she started walking towards the door.

"Man, what is wrong with you?" Travis asked incredulously.

"What?" Wes said defensively.

"She just asked you out. Why didn't you say yes?"

"That wasn't what she was doing," Wes brushed off. He went back to fiddling with papers on his desk.

"You should have said yes," his partner said.

"Travis, she's just had her car stolen. I was helping her. That was all she was doing. Like she said, it was just a way to thank me."

"Alright," Travis said nonchalantly with a shrug of his shoulders. "So then you aren't attracted to her?"

"What? No."

"Okay. So you wouldn't care if I asked her out?"

"The last thing she needs is to become another notch in your bedpost. Leave her alone."

"You just said you didn't care," he taunted. "If you don't care, then what's it matter if that's what happens or not?" He stood from his chair. "I'm going to go ask her out."

"Travis!" Wes called. "No, Travis, you're not!"

He too stood and had to run through the office to catch up with his partner. They reached the exit door at the same time and wrestled each other for who would get out first. Wes pulled Travis back and launched himself toward the door. He straightened his jacket after stumbling out into the sun. He looked back and saw Travis through the glass, crossing his arms and waiting for Wes to approach Sophie. He turned and searched for her.

"Sophie!" he shouted as she was walking further down the street towards a small sitting area under large trees.

She turned and waited for him as he jogged to her.

"You know on second thought," he said when he was finally in front of her, "dinner would be great."

"Really?" she asked and he couldn't help but notice the slight excitement in her tone.

"Yeah. I figured, you're looking for a new place; I could tell you some of the good neighborhoods around here and the ones you should stay away from while we eat," he explained.

"That'd be wonderful and _so_ helpful," she enthused.

"Okay, why don't you give me your number and I'll call you?"

"Oh," she said disappointed. "I don't have a phone, remember?"

"Right," he recalled. "Are you planning on staying at the same hotel for now?"

"Yeah I think so," she said.

"Well you know what room I'm in. Once you get settled in, why don't you call me from there?"

"Okay. Sure," she agreed.

"Okay. I'll talk to you later then," he said with a smile before walking back to the precinct. He had to remove the upturn from his lips before Travis saw it.

* * *

**A/N: Please review! Let me know how you think I've done writing the boys and especially writing from Wes's POV. Thanks!**

**REVIEW REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks to justatvfan for reviewing the first chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Common Law.**

* * *

**Chapter Two: No Fly Zone**

Wes hated these therapy sessions. He didn't have high hopes that this couples counseling would help him and Travis. They worked well enough together to get things done. He didn't know why everyone insisted that they _get along_. And the other couples there got on his nerves. There was the young couple who really didn't have anything wrong with them; they just liked seeing others having problems that they don't have. There was the black couple about his age with the man with a wandering eye and the too-jealous wife. And lastly, the oldest couple in the group who were just there to rekindle some fading romance—of course they had different ideas of _romance_; he thought it meant sex but she thinks it means all the nonsexual foreplay that comes before it.

And they all tried talking to him like they knew him, like they understand his problems exactly. They all have opinions. Not a one of them seems to grasp the fact that he doesn't give a damn about what they think.

"Okay, so today we're going to talk about—"

"Oh, Dr. Ryan?" Travis interrupted their therapist. "Before we begin, I think there's something Wes would like to share with the group."

Everyone looked to him with polite interest.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Wes said. "I don't have anything to say."

"Wes met someone," Travis told the group for him. Everyone gasped with pleasant surprise.

"Who is she?"

"How did you meet her?"

"Is she hot?"

Questions bombarded his ears and he grit his teeth in annoyance.

"Her name is Sophie," Travis continued to speak for him. "She is way hotter than he deserves and they have a date."

"It's not a date," Wes denied.

"Wes," Dr. Ryan said in that patronizing tone of hers. "Why is it not a date?"

"Because I didn't ask her out. She asked to take me out for dinner as a way of thanking me for helping her when she was in need. Our relationship is professional and I won't cross that line." He looked pointedly at his partner as he said the last part.

"Is that the real reason you don't want it to be a date or is it because you're still not ready to let go of your ex-wife?" Dr. Ryan asked.

"Alex and I are just friends. I know that," he proclaimed strongly.

"You need to let go, man," Travis said knowingly.

"I have."

"So where are you taking her?" the young wife asked. She leaned on her knees to get closer to Wes.

"I haven't decided yet," Wes said vaguely.

"Yes he has," Travis explained astutely. "He just doesn't want to tell me because he's afraid I'll show up and ruin it for him."

"Is that true, Wes?" Dr. Ryan asked.

"No," he protested just a bit too much. "I'm still going back and forth between a few different places."

"If it's not a date, why are you putting so much thought into it?" the wife his age asked.

"Because it is a date," said Travis.

"No, it's not," Wes insisted once more. "Now can we drop this? This session isn't supposed to be all about me, is it Dr. Ryan?"

"No," she said with a small smile. "But I think the group is just very excited for this step you're taking—even if it isn't a date," she added at his annoyed facial twitch. "As am I. But we'll move on now. Today we'll be talking about interpreting each other's cues."

* * *

"This is nice," Sophie said as they sat down at the restaurant two days later on

Friday evening.

Wes smiled softly as he settled into his seat. His eyes drifted to her clavicle once again. She wore no necklace, leaving no obstruction to his view. He'd wished she had. It was a damned clavicle. Everyone had one. Why was he so fixed to hers?

"You look nice, by the way," he said.

"Oh, thank you." She smoothed the green material of the fitted dress on her thighs. "So do you."

"You said you were moving out here for work," he said before an uncomfortable silence could claim them. "What is it that you do?"

"I'm a professor," she said with a happy smile. "I mostly teach immunology and genetics courses. UCLA offered me a position. What about you? How long have you been in law enforcement?"

"It's been—oh, what now?—seven or eight years."

"What did you do before?"

"I was a lawyer," he answered.

"Ah. That explains the suits," she said with a smirk.

"What's wrong with my suits?" he asked with a smile.

"Nothing." She shook her head and partially hid her face behind a menu. "They look good on you."

Wes was facing the door so he saw her when she walked in. And she wasn't alone.

"Oh, no," he mumbled.

"What?" Sophie asked.

Wes watched as the man who opened the door for his ex-wife offered her his hand. And she took it. He felt a part of him, that part he tried so hard to be rock solid, crack.

"My ex-wife is here," he said.

"Oh." Sophie turned as inconspicuously as she could to look in the direction that he was. "Wow," she breathed. "That's your ex-wife?" She turned back to face him. "She is _gorgeous_." She hissed.

"Yeah, and great, they're coming this way," Wes said quietly. Alex's eyes then locked on his. He could tell she was uncomfortable. How did she think he felt seeing her here on a date? He stood as it appeared they were going to walk by their table. "Alex, hi."

"Hello, Wes," she said politely but obviously still uncomfortable. "How are you?"

"Good," he answered. "We were just leaving actually."

Sophie quickly placed the menu down and stood to play along. Wes was so happy she knew how to do that.

"Hi," Alex said to her. "I'm Alex."

"Sophie. It's nice to meet you. We better get going, though. Wes, we're going to be late."

"Yes, right," he agreed. "We have this other thing we need to get to. It was nice seeing you, Alex. Have fun."

He placed his hand on Sophie's lower back to quickly usher her out of the restaurant. They hadn't even been greeted by a waiter yet so he didn't feel too bad about not letting the hostess know they were leaving.

"Oh my God," Wes sighed as they finally reached the fresh outside air. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Sophie insisted. "I wouldn't want to be in the same restaurant as any of my exes either—and I've never married any of them."

"It's not really like that. Alex and I are friends. It's just—seeing her with someone... I'm sorry."

He was pacing in front of her now in the parking lot by his car. He felt his temper rising. He hated that she was here with someone. He hated that he had to watch her hold hands and smile with someone else.

"Hey, hey," Sophie said soothingly. She stepped into his path, making him stop. "It's okay. It's fine. You're allowed to be upset about this. Why don't we go somewhere and talk?"

"I'm not really the talking type," he told her. He moved to start pacing in another direction. He couldn't stand still. His blood was pounding through his veins.

"Okay, but you look like you really need to talk," she said. "I can be that person that you vent to. It can just be for tonight and then we can never see each other again if it'll make you feel more comfortable. No judgment, I swear." She stepped into his way again, this time holding her hand out to press against his stomach. "Hey—oh, wow," she said. Her eyes fell to her hand were she could feel the definition of his abdominals. "Wow," she said again.

"What?"

Her other hand joined the first, pressing lightly all her fingers against different spots on his torso.

"Nothing. You're just...great. You're great," she stuttered. She looked back up to his eyes (though her hands didn't move). "Let me be that person for you. We're not far from the beach, right? Let's just go sit in the sand and you can talk to me about everything with your ex-wife. It might make you feel better. Please, let that be the way I repay you for all you've done for me."

Against his nature, he said yes. They drove the short distance to the beach and he started talking about how Alex had asked for a divorce after he decided to become a detective. It took him a while to get started. He thought more and more about what Sophie had said in the parking lot. They didn't have to see each other after that night. If he never saw her again, there would be no need for him to feel embarrassed. So he talked. And he talked. And he talked until he was telling her about how he still goes to the house to check on the lawn and how last week he went there to make sure the alarm system was still working while Alex was at work.

"And the restaurant tonight...I shouldn't have taken you there. I know it's Alex's favorite," he admitted.

Sophie sighed. She wrapped her hands and locked her fingers behind one of his bent knees as she leaned her head against his shoulder. His fingers twitched in the sand they were buried in behind him as he felt that same twitch of arousal he had felt the night he met her.

"I think sometimes we do that sort of thing because we want to replace the memories we have with one person with new ones. It's like one of the ways people move on. I don't know if it's exactly healthy, but I do know you're not the first one to do it. Every time you think of that place do you really want to remember it as your ex-wife's favorite?"

He didn't answer. He still loved Alex. He wasn't sure he was doing what Sophie claimed he was.

He could hear Travis's voice in his head telling him he needed to move on. And then that same voice told him to make a move on the girl leaning against him so he shut that voice out.

"Moving on's a process. I don't think you have anything to be sorry for," she said.

He decided he wanted to believe her.

* * *

Sophie and Wes ended their night silently agreeing that they wouldn't see each other again. She thanked him one last time for everything he had done as he walked her to her hotel room. He thought about thanking her for listening to him rant about Alex but decided he wasn't comfortable bringing it up. She hugged him, her body touching his. He could feel her breast against his chest as her arms wrapped around his neck.

"Good luck with everything," she had said. Her voice was so close to his ear. Then her lips touched his cheek and she disappeared behind the door.

He thought then that maybe it had been too long since he's had any sexual contact. He felt the twitch again as he felt the ghost of her warmth against the front of his body and the kiss she had left on his cheek.

* * *

They had agreed on never seeing each other again but apparently neither one had thought of what would happen if the LAPD found her car.

Two weeks later, Travis and Wes were just about to leave the bullpen for lunch when Sophie walked into the precinct.

"Hey!" Travis greeted friendly, recognizing her immediately. "Sophie, right?" Wes wondered how her name was so easy to recall for Travis when he had so many women to keep track of. "What are you doing here? Come to see Wes?"

And now Wes knew why Travis remembered her. Sophie was one of the few women Travis linked to him.

"Uh, no. But hi, Wes," she said uncomfortably. He smiled politely and nodded in response. "No, they found my car."

"That's great," Wes said.

"Yeah, well, it'd be better if they didn't find it wrapped around a lamppost."

"Ouch," Travis hissed.

She nodded solemnly. "They called me in here to fill out some paperwork. And now I get to go look for a new car!" She didn't look as excited as she sounded.

"What have you been doing to get around all this time?" Wes asked.

"I rented this really old, piece of crap Honda Civic. It's falling apart at the seams."

"Wes and I were going to grab some lunch. We could wait for you if you'd like to join us," Travis offered with a charming smile.

Sophie's eyes quickly darted to Wes. "Oh, no. Thanks for the offer but I have errands I need to run before I have to be on campus to teach my class."

"Okay, maybe some other time then," Travis said.

"Yeah, maybe. I better go deal with those papers," she said as a dismissal. "It was nice seeing you guys again." She walked away quickly towards Kate's desk.

"Dude, _come on!_" Travis groaned with a light punch to Wes's shoulder. "What is wrong with you?"

"What?" he asked indignantly.

"She's a teacher?"

"A professor," Wes corrected unnecessarily, "at UCLA."

"And you're telling me you aren't just a little hot for teacher? Every guy has that fantasy at some point! It's right up there with the sexy librarian and the naughty nurse." Wes rolled his eyes. "If you aren't going to make a move, I am." He began walking to the break room where Kate had lead Sophie.

"Travis," Wes said sternly. He caught his partner's arm to stop him. "She doesn't need the trouble you'll bring in her life. No woman does."

"What do you care?" Travis wriggled his arm out of Wes's grasp only to have the back of his jacket grabbed on to.

"She's a no fly zone, Travis," Wes said quietly.

"Ah," he said happily, a stupid grin on his face. "So you do like her?"

"No," he denied like a six year old. "But if I say she's a no fly zone, you don't fly there. Bro Code, remember?"

"Okay, don't enact the Bro Code if you don't even know what it means. You can't declare her a no fly zone if you aren't going to make a move on her."

"Alright," Wes said annoyed as Travis tried for a third time to move to Sophie's location. "Just give me a minute."

As Wes was walking to the break room, he missed Travis's satisfied smile.

He slowed his pace as he walked into the near-empty kitchen area. Sophie was sitting at one of the tables reading over forms in her hand.

"Hey," Wes said softly as he sat in the chair opposite her.

She looked up in surprise. "Hey."

"How have you been? Still at the hotel?"

"Yeah, but not for long. I close on a house next week."

"Wow," he said in mild surprise. "That was quick."

"I'm glad, though. The beds in that hotel are so uncomfortable."

"Yeah," he chuckled. He was used to the too-firm beds now, but when he had first started staying there he remembered now uncomfortable he'd been.

"We weren't supposed to see each other again," she said quietly after a moment of silence.

"Right, about that; that was stupid," he said apologetically. "I've felt bad about that. You were new here and I just—"

"No, no!" she said quickly. "Don't worry about it. I've been fine. I just hope that night made you feel a little better about everything."

"It did," he insisted.

"Good. Then no regrets." She smiled happily.

"So do you really have a lot to do today or were you just saying that?"

"I do have errands, but I may have exaggerated the amount of time it would take me." Her smile turned sheepish.

"Why don't you let me take you to lunch then? As an apology and a thank you for helping me that night."

"Don't you have lunch plans with your partner?"

"Travis?" Wes scoffed. "We have lunch together every day. He won't care."

"Okay then. Just let me finish up here." She indicated to the papers on the table.

He told her he'd be by his desk and hurriedly left to find Travis.

"You're on your own for lunch," he said stonily.

"Awesome!" Travis said excited. He clapped his hands on Wes's shoulders and squeezed. He maneuvered the two of them so their backs were to the break room. "Listen, if you need to take a few hours off after lunch for…y'know…I'll cover for you."

"Travis," Wes sighed.

"No need to thank me. It's part of the Code."

"I wasn't going to thank you because nothing is going to happen. It's just lunch," Wes claimed in an agitated tone.

"Yeah, of course," Travis brushed off. "But, just in case it is more, you do have…" he looked around them and lowered his voice to a whisper, "…_protection_, right?" Wes tried to shake Travis's hold on him. "'Cause nothing kills the mood like a run into the drugstore. If you do have to do that though, my advice: foreplay in the car."

"Okay, you need to stop—"

Wes turned and was instantly mortified to see Sophie standing behind Travis.

"Hi," said Sophie politely with humor coloring her voice. Travis turned quickly to face her.

"Hey. We were just talking about—" Wes rushed.

"I just got here," she assured them. "I didn't hear anything."

"Good," Travis said. "We were just talking about a case, and, y'know, civilians aren't supposed to hear some details."

"Of course," she understood.

"Right, so, Wes, we need to remember when we get in there to have the right stuff on. Protection. Our vests, y'know, to catch the bullets."

"Yeah, I know," Wes said quickly. "Are you ready, Sophie?"

She nodded and walked with Wes to the doors.

"You kids have fun!" Travis yelled.

* * *

Sophie and Wes spent more time together after that. He liked that she was a third party to everything so he could tell her his true feelings and thoughts on matters and people like Travis and Alex. She really was a good listener. Of course he let her talk, too. She would rant about the stupidity of a few of her students and the stress she felt financially with now having to pay for a new car and a new house on top of having to restock her wardrobe since most of her clothes had been in her Buick when it was stolen. Neither offered much advice to the other. It was something they'd come to understand. Their relationship was merely about listening.

Travis would have lunch with them every now and again or sometimes dinner after a long day. He and Sophie got along well which Wes dealt with as maturely as he could. He was afraid that she would lose that third party quality that he valued so much. But it was abundantly clear she was more loyal to Wes than Travis. She would often start picking on Travis when he would tease Wes. It was always meant to be humorous, of course, but still he valued that in her.

The downside of Travis being around them, other than the simple fact that Travis was around them, was that he would now claim Sophie liked Wes. He denied it vehemently. Travis didn't know Sophie like he did. She was a flirty person by nature. But Travis would point out specific instances like when she would touch his arm when speaking to him or when he made her laugh; how she would hug him but not Travis; how his jokes really weren't funny but she'd laugh anyway.

"That's what women do when they like a guy," he told him like it was some big secret.

"It's not like that. We're just friends," Wes maintained faithfully.

"I'm telling you, she likes you."

And the more Wes thought about it, the more he had to convince himself it was just the way she was. She had always flirted with him and she was never shy about her attraction to him. It actually made him feel pretty good about himself. Like the time he had gone over to her house to help her rip out the roots from a row of dead bushes in her backyard and he had lifted his shirt to wipe sweat from his brow. She had wolf whistled and said something along the lines of how nice it was to have some eye candy around. But nothing had ever happened. She had never implied she wanted anything to.

Sophie, like most everyone else, thought it was hilarious they were in couples counseling. Both he and Travis left out why though. He was curious why Travis wouldn't let it slip it was all because Wes had pulled his gun on him.

He was also noticing more and more time was passing in between his visits to Alex's house.

* * *

On a Saturday afternoon, when Wes and Sophie both had the day off, they decided to go for a walk through the shopping center near her neighborhood. While walking, they discussed the pros and cons of the death penalty. How they got on such a morbid topic, Wes couldn't remember. He was going to change the subject because he could tell Sophie was getting frustrated with him when he spotted a familiar face.

"Oh, God," Wes groaned. "Why? Why is she here?"

"Who?" Sophie asked, still obviously annoyed from their conversation.

"This girl Lindsay," he explained. "Travis signed me up for this online dating service a while back and she was one of the girls it paired me with."

"Dating service?" Sophie laughed.

"I never tried to date any of them. She started contacting me and I tried to tell her I wasn't interested but I don't think she ever really got it."

She was walking towards them now but thankfully she still hadn't spotted them.

He thought about ducking into a store but the one closest to them was a lingerie shop and that was too awkward for him.

"Hold my hand," she said suddenly.

"What?" said Wes dumbly.

"Hold my hand." Sophie grabbed his right hand in her left. "Pretend we're dating and maybe she'll go away."

She'd seen them now and was making a beeline for them.

"Wes! Hi! It's so good to see you," she said excitedly.

"Yeah, you too. This is my girlfriend, Sophie." His voice tripped over the g-word but he didn't think it was too noticeable.

"Oh, girlfriend. Wow," Lindsay said with forced enthusiasm. "How did you two meet?"

"Online dating," Sophie answered with a large smile. She wrapped her other hand around his elbow and rested her head on his shoulder. "And thank God for it."

"Yep," Wes laughed uncomfortably. "Thank God."

"Well good for you two," Lindsay gushed. "It was nice seeing you."

She left quickly and entered a nearby boutique.

"Okay, she's gone. Can you listen to what I'm saying now?" Sophie grumbled as she let go of his hand.

But Lindsay wasn't gone. Wes could see her watching them discreetly from the boutique's windows. He didn't know if she was staring because she wasn't sold on if he was really dating Sophie or just because she was jealous. He didn't want to take the chance.

"It costs more to kill someone by lethal injection than to keep them alive but the threat of it—" Sophie was saying.

"I'm sorry," Wes began speaking over her words. "I have to do something and I need you to go with it."

"What—?"

And then he kissed her. His hands wrapped around the back of her neck and his lips pressed hard against hers. But then they weren't so hard. Sophie was frozen for only a second. She was still shocked but her lips began moving against his without her being conscious of it. It took her brain a few moments to actually catch up with her lips.

Wes felt the twitch again. it had been a long time since he'd kissed someone. And Sophie's lips were so soft against his.

_That's enough!_ His mind shouted. _You've made your point to Lindsay. Pull away!_

But that's when, somehow, her bottom lip ended up between his and his tongue grazed across it. He could feel her hands lightly on his sides gripping his jacket. He took the smallest of half steps towards her as her mouth opened for him.

_NO! Stop!_ He thought even as his tongue slid across hers. But his hands loosened their hold on her person. He began to pull away.

When he opened his eye, he watched as hers opened slowly and continued opening until they were wide with surprise.

Wes quickly pulled his phone from his pocket as he felt a vibration—anything to distract him from what he'd just done.

"I have to go," he said after reading a text. "My case just broke open. I'm sorry." He looked back to her still wide and shocked eyes and wondered which thing he was apologizing for. "Can you find a way home?"

"Uh, yeah, sure," she sputtered.

"'Kay. Sorry." He jogged back to his car trying to only think of the case.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: So this chapter, the first little bit of it anyway, is rated M. I'm still new to this whole writing fanfiction stuff but I don't think it's so bad. But if anyone is offended, I'm deeply sorry. Also if you readers think that I should up the whole rating for this story to M please let me know and I will do so. Thanks ahead of time for your input.**

**Thanks to soursweetbeck, PadmeSkywalker10, InsaneProcrastinator007, justatvfan, and peaches2010 for reviewing chapters one and two. Its great getting feedback from you guys!**

* * *

**Chapter Three: The Same Bed**

A soft, naked body lay beneath his. They were both slick with sweat but it was clearly the good kind of sweat; the kind that was fun to work up. His body ached with a need and primal hunger that had long ago been forgotten about. A warmth surrounded him. The fingers belonging to his right hand traveled the outline of the woman's body up to her neck and then to the back of her head where he gripped hair and forced her mouth to meet his. Smooth tongues danced with each other and he felt a leg wrap around his waist. She broke away from his kiss, gasping. She started meeting thrusts he didn't realize he'd been performing until then. His head fell to the pillow next to her and he grit his teeth, desperately trying to hold back his own climax. Her moans escalated in volume next to his ear until they were choked from her throat as sensation overrode her ability to breathe properly.

"Wes," she gasped.

_Sophie_, he thought.

His own orgasm woke him.

* * *

They went a week and a half without speaking after...well, neither of them ever mentioned it. As far as appearances were concerned, nothing had happened. No kiss shared, no buried twitches. Whenever he thought he might still be able to taste her on his tongue, Wes would rush to find something to take it away; brushing his teeth worked for a while, but he had to eventually move on to things like spicy foods and bitter coffee. His dream of her was shoved back into the deepest recesses of his mind.

She was the first to break their unspoken and yet somehow still mutual agreement to avoid each other. She texted him while he was on a stake out with Travis asking him to walk her through changing the batteries in a beeping fire alarm.

Things were a bit easier between them after that. It was always the initial step that was the hardest. They were able to move past what had happened by ignoring it completely. It worked which made him wonder if all that psycho-babble about talking about his feelings in group therapy was actually complete crap after all.

In no time they were back to normal. Sophie would flirt in any physical way she could to which Wes would laugh at and brush off. There were lingering glances however. That was the only change between them that seemed obvious to Wes. Whether it was in the car at a red light or at a restaurant, every now and again they would stare at each other. After their laughter subsided or when one had made an interesting point in their discussion, their eyes would meet and neither would look away for a few moments. And those were the only times he let himself think that maybe she thought about the kiss just as much as he did; that maybe she felt as though she could still taste him as well.

* * *

Sophie had never seen _The Godfather_ which Wes decided was unacceptable. They planned to watch it one night when neither had work to focus on so Wes went to Alex's house to pick up the DVD.

"You look good," Alex commented as Wes searched through their entertainment center for the movie.

"Thanks," he replied. "I feel good."

"I haven't talked to you in a while," she observed. "How's the couples counseling going?"

"Okay, I guess. Ah ha!" he shouted as he found what he was searching for. He turned back to see Alex's eyebrows raised. He mentally chided himself for the ridiculous overreaction. He coughed uncomfortably. "The therapy's going good. I mean, Travis and I still hate each other but I think we're doing a little better."

"That's good." Alex eyed him as he straightened out his tucked in shirt. "You really do look well."

"So do you," he complimented.

"Actually, since you're here," she stood from her place on the sofa, "my sink in the bathroom hasn't been draining like it used to. Do you think you could take a look at it?"

Wes smiled and tossed the DVD on the cushion of the chair next to him. "Of course."

* * *

"Someone broke into my neighbor's place last night," Sophie told Wes about a month later when she made a surprise visit to the precinct. It was obvious she was distraught. "Wes, he raped her."

"Oh, God," he sighed sympathetically. "Is she okay?"

"No," Sophie exclaimed like it was obvious—and really, it was. "She's staying with family in Anaheim for a couple weeks."

"Do they have any idea who did it?"

She shook her head. "The officer I talked to said it sounded like a guy they've been after for a while."

She was openly fretting about the whole situation.

"Do you think you could come over tonight and just make sure my place is locked up good?" she asked softly. "I'm just so nervous. It was one house down, Wes. He could have easily picked mine."

"No." He shook his head and placed his hands on her shoulders to calm her. "Serial guys like this stalk their victims beforehand. She wasn't random. He wouldn't have picked a house without knowing who lived there. You'll be fine." She nodded her head, believing his words even if they didn't completely ease her. "I'll still come by and check out your place. Do you want Travis to come too?"

"No, just you." She placed her hands on top of his which were still holding her shoulders and leaned into his chest, her eyes closed. "Thank you," she muttered.

So that night Wes brought pizza over to her house and checked over all her door and window locks finding them all to be working properly.

"We can get you an alarm system installed if you want," he suggested as they sat on her couch together.

"Yeah, maybe," she said distantly. She was staring vacantly at a nondescript place on her wall.

"Are you going to be okay tonight?" he asked worried.

She turned to him finally and smiled softly. "Yeah." Her smile faded. "No," she admitted. "Would it be too weird for me to ask you to stay here tonight? I would just feel a lot better knowing there's a gun in the house and the person wielding it is on my side."

"Yeah, I can do that," he said delicately. He really hated seeing her so scared.

They watched TV for a long time until she fell asleep with her body curled up and her head on an arm rest. He turned off the television and, as gently as he could, lifted her and carried her to her bed. She stirred as he laid her down and her eyes opened briefly.

"Will you sleep here?" she asked groggily.

"Yeah; I'll be on the couch, okay?" he whispered.

"No, stay here." She grabbed hold of his arm and tried tugging him closer to her. "You're supposed to protect me."

"I am," he said with a soft chuckle. "Knights in shining armor are supposed to stand guard on the couch, though."

"What about Prince Charmings?"

He'd talked to her for too long now. She was beginning to wake up even more.

"If I ever find you one, I'll be sure to ask."

She lifted herself onto an elbow and with the other arm she held onto his sleeve.

"We've slept in the same room together before."

"Separate beds, though," he argued.

"Are you that much of a prude?" She rolled her eyes and got up from her bed, fishing nightclothes out from drawers. She changed in the adjoining bathroom and he quickly made his escape to the living room.

"You're going to leave me all alone in here?" she said from her bedroom doorway.

Wes was already lying on the couch and craned his neck to get a sight of her. The oversized t-shirt and plaid shorts did nothing to abate his attraction to her.

"Sorry, Soph," he said.

"Liar." She turned back into her room and just before leaving the door cracked open she threw out one last taunt. "I don't bite."

He was right to stay on the couch. She had a guest room but there was no bed in there right now. Besides, he was right by the front door; if anyone did decide to break in, he'd be in the way of them getting to Sophie. Unless they went in her bedroom window...

No. Everything was secure. He'd triple-checked all the possible means of getting into her house.

It would be wrong to sleep in the bed with her. The dream he'd had of her came to mind...definitely a good choice staying on the couch.

His phone beeped on the coffee table next to his head, the screen lit up the dark room.

_What if he comes through my bedroom window?_ Sophie had text him.

He smiled but it quickly disappeared. She really was out of her mind nervous about something happening to her. He rose from the couch and quietly made his way to her bedroom. He saw her eyes still open in the little light that there was. She shone the light from her own phone's screen in his direction. He walked to her bed and placed his gun in the top drawer of the nightstand before slipping under the thick duvet. Her bed was amazingly comfortable. They rolled to face each other.

"You know I would shoot anyone who tried to hurt you," he said softly.

"Doesn't mean I'm not still worried about it," she mumbled.

_Thank you_ she mouthed. He smiled and rolled onto his back. He felt her hand reach out and wrap around his arm. He didn't mind the contact if it made her feel safer.

* * *

He woke up lying on his stomach. Visually, he wasn't sure where he was. It was the smell that jogged his memory first. His nose was assaulted with Sophie's scent. Her shampoo or soap was something citrusy and he'd recognize it anywhere. He rolled over but found the rest of the bed empty. He jumped when she suddenly appeared in the doorway from her walk-in closet already dressed in a navy dress and tan heels.

"I need to leave soon. My class starts in an hour," she said softly as she worked an earring into her ear.

Wes looked to the clock on the nightstand as she walked to her bathroom. He needed to go too. He wouldn't have time to go to the hotel and change before he needed to be at work. Travis would get on his case about that.

As he stood he noticed his shirt was wrinkled. It bothered him. A lot. He should have taken it off. Even his pants were bad. But sleeping in only his underwear next to Sophie—even with only his shirt off—was not a good idea. If they had touched during the night, even unintentionally, he had a feeling his skin would burst into flames. He'd have no way of pushing the dream back to sub consciousness.

"There's an iron and board in my laundry room," she called through the open bathroom door.

Wes looked in the direction of her voice. She was leaning over her counter—putting on makeup he presumed, like he'd seen Alex do—but he couldn't see her face, only the bend of her body.

Damn twitches.

She stood up straight and looked out to him. She smiled. "I know you're OCD about that kind of thing."

He rolled his eyes at her teasing though he really was grateful.

He quickly took his shirt off behind the closed door of the cramped laundry room. He hoped to do this quickly enough that she wouldn't see him like this. He had no such luck.

"Hey," she said as she opened the door without knocking. It was her house, he supposed. "There's a new toothbrush by the sink for you. I have to go now or I'll be late. Here's my spare key." She handed him a silver key on an otherwise empty ring. "Lock up when you leave." She reached a hand out and placed it on his forearm. He was right, his skin did catch fire. "Thanks for staying here last night."

He nodded silently as he imagined his hands on her - flashbacks from his dream.

* * *

It wasn't until lunchtime that Travis noticed he was wearing the same clothes as he had the day before. Wes tried to pass it off as it being a new but similar suit. He could tell he didn't have his partner convinced beyond a shadow of a doubt, but he stopped arguing about it. There was only a small amount of teasing—something called a Walk of Shame and more mentions of the Bro Code.

He texted Sophie towards the end of his work day to see if she wanted him to stay with her again. He almost didn't ask. He didn't want to seem like he wanted to be there. But he also wanted her to feel safe and he knew she'd had a hard enough time asking him to stay the night before. She answered him with what he assumed was a shy "If you don't mind."

He made sure to stop by his hotel room first to grab a change of clothes. He quickly showered there as well. It was well into the evening hours when he finally arrived at her house.

"I'm sleeping on the couch tonight," he insisted when she stated she was tired.

She smiled. "Oh, drats!" she exclaimed sarcastically. "I was planning on jumping you tonight."

He snapped his fingers in an _Aw, shucks!_ sort of manner. Sophie laughed and went into her bedroom. He was just settling into the couch when his phone beeped. He smiled, thinking she was luring him into her bed like she had last night. But the text he'd received was from Alex. She was nervous about a case she was presenting before a judge the next day. It was a make or break kind of thing. If she won the trial, she'd be promoted within the firm. But if she lost she'd likely be fired. He tried telling her to relax, that she was a great lawyer, and she could handle anything. But she was still anxious. Would he come over?

He stared at her last questioning text. It was Alex. Should he go over there? It was _Alex_. Of course he should.

"Sophie," he called as he stood and walked to her room. "I need to go."

She walked from her closet in a large sweatshirt and shorts.

"What? Why?"

"Alex needs me for something," he explained. She was taken aback by his answer. "You'll be fine. I wouldn't even think about leaving you if I thought you were in danger."

"Yeah, I know," she said. "It's fine. If you need to go, go."

She walked him to the front door after he grabbed his bag with the change of clothes he'd brought.

"Call me if you need me," he said.

"I'm sure I won't. Good night."

He tried to ignore the small sting of rejection he felt. She was sure she wouldn't _need _him. He had liked that she felt safe with him around. But she didn't _need_ him. She was so sure.

* * *

Wes spent the majority of the night helping Alex prepare her case. She fell asleep on the couch and he stayed up, going over minute details in case he missed something. He certainly didn't want her to get fired. In the morning, before heading out the door, the both of them off to work just like old times, she kissed him. It was short and soft, meant to be a thank you. But the way she looked at him when she pulled away... He'd missed her so much. She asked him to dinner, again the pretense being a thank you for his help. He said yes, of course. She kissed him again.

He was in a good mood for the rest of the day. Even Travis telling him about him and Sophie texting all night didn't do anything to tarnish his happiness.

* * *

Alex stopped by the precinct about a week later. Things were really starting to go her way with the trial. She thanked Wes again and again. They had been seeing more of each other recently. Wes was happy with the direction they seemed to be heading.

As Alex was hugging him, he saw Sophie over her shoulder, watching from a distance. He hadn't known she was there. She smiled and signaled that she'd talk to him later. He nodded subtly and returned his focus to Alex.

Travis was entering the bullpen as Sophie was just turning to leave. She was staring down at what appeared to be tickets in her hand.

"Hey, Soph," he called.

"Hey!" Her eyes found him and she smiled brightly.

"What are you doing here? Are you and Wes having lunch today?"

"I was going to see if he wanted to, but Alex is here so I figured he's probably busy," she said.

She glanced over her shoulder. Travis followed her eyes. Alex was now sitting in Wes's chair while he perched himself on the desk. They were smiling as they talked.

"Huh," Travis huffed, confused on when that had happened. Wes hadn't mentioned anything to him.

"Yeah," Sophie agreed. "He's happy." She turned back to Travis. "Anyway, I was going to give him these." She held up two tickets. Travis saw the word _jazz_ in bold letters but before he could read anymore, she moved them. "I got them for him as a thank you for helping me with everything around my house. But the more I'm thinking about it, the more I'm thinking he won't accept them if he knows I paid for them." She offered them to Travis. "Can you find a way to get these to him? I know he'd really like to go."

"Yeah, sure." Travis took the small but thick papers and slapped them against his open palm. "Are you okay?"

She seemed a little upset. It was subtle but Travis had spent years upon years reading women. It was a survival mechanism.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she said nonchalantly. "I'm a little tired I guess. I have to go home and grade tests now. _Fun!_" He laughed at her sarcasm. "Actually, Travis, I was wondering..." she began shyly. "Would you like to get together sometime? Not as a date," she said quickly. "I mean with a group of people. It's just, I've been living here for a while now and I still haven't met that many people."

"Yeah, totally!" he said excitedly. "I go play pool with a bunch of my buddies some nights. You're always welcome."

She smiled. "Thanks."

"I think I'm getting together with them tomorrow night, actually. Do you want me to invite Wes, too?"

"No," she rushed. She smiled again in embarrassment. "I mean, I feel like if Wes is there I won't be as likely to talk to other people."

Travis nodded. He understood but still got the feeling she just didn't want to be around Wes. Had he done something to upset her? Was it because of Alex?

"Plus," she added. "He's been spending more time with Alex lately. He might not even be free."

It was Alex, then, Travis concluded.

"I'll text you the details later," he promised. They said a quick goodbye and Travis went to his desk where he greeted Alex like an old friend.

* * *

"Sophie's going out with me tomorrow," he told Wes later in the day when they were alone in the car.

"What?" Wes asked quickly. "When did that happen?"

"She was at the precinct earlier. We ran into each other." Travis shrugged.

"Are those where the tickets are from?" he questioned, peeved. "Did Sophie get them?"

"What? No," Travis denied. "I told you I won them in a poker game last night. I thought you'd appreciate them."

"Well, I do," Wes replied abashed. "They're really good tickets, actually. I'm surprised you have friends that like that sort of thing."

"I think it was his girl that he got them for. He looked like he was going to be in trouble when I won them."

Wes chuckled. "Probably."

"So yeah, me and Sophie," Travis continued. "You two never...?"

"Me and Sophie?" Wes asked like it was absurd. "No!" he drummed his fingers on the steering wheel, agitated. "So it's like a date?"

"Well, no," he admitted. "We're going out with some of my friends to play pool. But you know, I figure we'll be there, she'll need help shooting some stick. I bend her over and help her... It can be pretty romantic."

"You mean sexual," Wes corrected. "That's not romance, Travis. And Sophie's smart enough not to fall for that."

Travis shrugged and slouched back into the seat. "We'll see."

Wes's jaw clenched.

* * *

**A/N: So I have the major parts of this story written. Now it's just a matter of putting all of them together. It might take me some time, but I'll keep updating as soon as I'm able to.**

**Now go REVIEW! =]**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: This was originally **_**two**_** chapters, that's why you'll notice the "and" in the title, but they were both so short that I just combined them. It's still a short chapter, but it's kind of a big part of the story. **

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter! Those who reviewed are PadmeSkywalker10, justatvfan, InsaneProcrastinator007, and an anonymous reviewer. Thanks a bunch for all your support! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Common Law**

* * *

**Chapter Four: The Worst and The Fallout**

Sophie and Wes had fallen out of touch. Wes was spending more and more time with Alex now that things were getting back on track with her; so calling or texting Sophie just felt weird. He stopped; and after a while of her only getting short responses and cancelled plans from him, she stopped too.

He saw her name every now and again light up on Travis's phone when his partner had left his cell lying around. It didn't happen that often, but he still felt some sort of...feeling about it. Sadness maybe? Sometimes he missed talking to her. Or maybe he just missed her.

But he was finally moving in a good direction with Alex. She still insisted on remaining just friends (friends who occasionally hold hands and make out outside her front door when he drops her off after dinner), but the more and more time they spent together, the better he felt about things. That was so important to him that whatever lost friendship or confidant didn't matter to him. He certainly didn't miss those God-forsaken twitches.

It had been months since he had last Sophie.

* * *

Wes was shocked to see her there. The Seventeenth Annual Los Angeles Police Department Banquet was being held in a swanky hotel ballroom. Alex was on his arm looking as beautiful as he'd ever seen her. But _her_. The twitch of attraction almost made him forget about his ex-wife standing next to him. Her red dress stood out in the sea of navies and blacks. Travis was next to her, naturally. Wes watched as Sophie smiled brightly as Travis introduced her to Captain Sutton.

"Wasn't she the one you went out with?" Alex asked unsure.

"We were just friends," Wes assured.

"She's pretty. Did you know she was going to be here?"

"No." He wished he hadn't been so surprised by her.

He tried to ignore it as he and Alex signed in and were given their table number. But Travis was his partner which meant they were to be seated next to each other. Travis clapped his hand on his back as they arrived at the table. Wes and Alex stood to greet them. While Travis and Alex shared a hug Wes spoke quietly to Sophie.

"I didn't know you'd be here," he admitted.

"I didn't know until two days ago," she explained with a chuckle. "Travis said his date bailed. I'm his second choice." She rolled her eyes like she thought it was funny. "At least I hope I was only second."

Wes laughed but wondered the same thing. Unlike Sophie though who was worried she had been a later number, Wes thought that maybe she had been Travis's first choice all along.

"I'm surprised he didn't tell you..." Wes shrugged. "Nice tux," she whispered with a smirk. Alex and Travis had taken their seats and the two of them really should have been doing the same by then. "Have I ever mentioned my James Bond fantasy?"

"I don't think you have," he said lowly. His lips quirked up slightly. It was just like her to flirt with him.

"You look like Daniel Craig." She found her seat and as she was sitting down mouthed the words _it's good_.

He sat down too, Alex in between them. He smiled but quickly turned his attention to his date lest he get in trouble.

They were served a large meal while various political members of the Los Angeles area spoke to the crowd. Wes found his teeth grinding more than once as he had to witness the fraternization between Sophie and Travis. He would whisper things in her ear, things that would make her laugh. Once she even let her head fall onto Travis's shoulder to stifle the noise. The worst was watching them share food. Travis held a small amount of pasta rolled onto his fork and brought it to her lips. A drip of the white cheese sauce fell onto her chest. She swiped a finger across her cleavage and sucked the sauce off. It was completely innocent. She hadn't intended for it to be sexual. But it certainly caused a second twitch.

At least, he thought that had been the worst.

* * *

There was a photographer taking pictures. Many people liked to remember this sort of event, especially the wives of some of the officers because they rarely got to dress up and go out like this. The Captain asked Wes and Travis to take pictures together with their dates. He asked, but it wasn't really a request. The four of them squeezed together for one photo and then Wes and Travis took one, deciding one day it might be a funny gift for Dr. Ryan. Wes and Alex took one as a couple as did Travis and Sophie.

"Hey, Wes, you don't mind if I get one with Alex do you?" Travis asked.

"Not if she doesn't," he answered after hesitating a moment.

Alex didn't mind as she and Travis were friends.

"I'm surprised you came here with him," Wes said quietly as he stood next to Sophie, the two of them watching their dates.

"I wish I could say I was surprised you came here with her."

Her voice had more bite than he had anticipated. What did she have to be upset about?

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Nothing." She shrugged and smiled. Perhaps he had imagined the attitude. "I know you've wanted things to get serious with her again. It was bound to happen. I'm happy for you."

Travis suggested Wes and Sophie have a picture together but they both declined.

* * *

Music was played by a small orchestra and many couples were making use of the large ballroom by dancing. Travis held out his hand to Sophie once they were finished with pictures.

"So," Travis began awkwardly as he and Sophie danced close.

"Yes?" she asked looking up to him.

"How do you feel about Wes and Alex?"

"I'm not surprised." She shrugged nonchalantly.

"You know, I thought for a while he had a thing for you."

Her face contorted into confusion. "No," she scoffed. "He's always wanted to be back with her."

"Yeah," he agreed, nodding. "I also thought you had a thing for him."

Sophie was quiet as she avoided his eyes. There was no use denying it. Wes had made his choice.

"I'm sorry," Travis said weakly.

"I'm happy for him," she said truthfully. "I know it's what he wanted. Even if the timing is suspicious."

It was Travis's turn to be confused. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come on. You're his partner and you didn't notice?" Travis shrugged, still lost. "He was finally getting better. He was moving on," she explained. "He wasn't doing his psycho drive-bys of her house anymore. He'd stopped calling to check in on her."

"So?"

"So she noticed it and sucked him back in." Travis heard her irritation loud and clear. "She didn't seem interested in him before because she didn't need to be. He was doing enough chasing for the both of them. But as soon as she realized he was starting to let go, she pulled him back. And he didn't fight it because it's what he's been wanting all along." She paused and found the couple in question sitting at their table. "Neither one of them was ready to be with anyone else. Not really."

Travis thought over her observations and decided she may in fact be right. He loved Alex. She was someone he considered a close friend and he didn't have many close friends. But she and Wes gotten divorced for a reason and he was beginning to wonder if they'd ever be able to work past that.

"You'd be good for him," he told Sophie confidently. "I'm sorry he doesn't see that."

"It's okay." She smiled warmly. "It's not like he's broken my heart. I knew better than to get too attached."

Travis's eyes flicked up and they briefly met with Wes's. He was watching them dance.

"I wonder what he'd do if I kissed you," Travis pondered.

"Don't even think about it," Sophie laughed.

"It'd be just one kiss. And you'd know for sure whether he had any feelings for you," he reasoned.

She looked to be thinking it over. He smiled charmingly, as he does.

"Just trust me," he whispered as he leaned in.

Watching Travis kiss Sophie and her kiss him back...that had been the worst for Wes.

* * *

The next group session was crucial in Wes and Travis's partnership. The tension between them was palpable and forced Dr. Ryan to tread lightly.

"Wes and Travis," she addressed the men who were seated next to each other but angled away. "How's everything been going with the two of you?"

"Fine," Wes answered shortly.

"It has _not _been fine," Travis hissed. "Wes is mad at me," he informed the group.

"I'm not mad," he denied angrily.

"You do appear upset," Dr. Ryan told him. "Why don't you tell us what it was Travis did to make you feel this way?"

"I'd rather not."

She smiled patiently as the rest of the couples looked on; some rolled their eyes at Wes's classic unwillingness.

"How do you expect the two of you will be able to move past this if you won't talk about it?"

"I _don't_ expect us to move past this," Wes said. "This will just be another one of the many things keeping us from ever actually getting along."

"I see. Either way, would you like Travis to apologize to you?" she asked still calmly.

"If I thought he was capable of it, then yes."

"How can he apologize if he doesn't know what he did wrong?" she asked pointedly, trying to make him see open communication was essential.

"He knows what he did," Wes bit out. At the same time Travis nodded and shrugged, saying "I know why he's mad."

Dr. Ryan sighed. "Alright then, Travis why don't you tell the group why Wes is upset?"

"I kissed Sophie," he explained simply. To his credit, he did sound mildly ashamed of it.

"You did what?" could be heard through the chorus of gasps along with "Oh, Travis."

Dr. Ryan was silent as the group reacted. She was focused on Wes's face and his reaction to Travis admitting it. His jaw clenched and he looked further in the opposite direction of his partner.

"Is this the true reason, Wes?" she asked though she already knew the answer. He wouldn't respond. "Okay, let me ask you this: are you more upset that the kiss occurred or do you feel as though Travis betrayed you in some way?"

"Yes," he agreed fiercely. "Yes, thank you. I don't care that you kissed her. I mind because I told you to leave her alone because I'm tired of the string of women you leave behind you," he addressed his partner loudly. "She's my friend, alright? Not yours."

"You're possessive of her," Dr. Ryan observed.

"Of course he is," Travis said. "He likes her! Even though they haven't talked in ages and he's back with Alex now."

There was another round of shocked intakes of breaths from the group.

"We're not really back together," he tried to explain. "We're just seeing how things go."

"Only on her terms," Travis mumbled.

"Excuse me? What's that supposed to mean?" Wes asked defensively.

"It means Alex only wanted you back once she realized you were moving on," he said loudly.

A silence fell over the room.

"No," Wes said though he didn't sound entirely sure of himself. "That's not true."

"Do you feel you were doing better in moving on?" Dr. Ryan asked quietly.

"I had moved on before," he answered in irritation.

"Man, that's bullshit and you know it."

"Travis," Dr. Ryan warned.

"You hadn't even tried to move on until Sophie showed up," he continued.

"Oh, Sophie? You mean the woman you assaulted with your mouth this weekend?" Wes accused. He was desperate to get the focus off him.

"Okay, that's enough for right now," Dr. Ryan ordered. "We'll come back to this. I want the two of you to try to calmly discuss what happened between Sophie and Travis. And Wes, I want you to take a good hard look at why you're so possessive of her."

She turned the topic away from them and allowed them to stew for the remainder of the hour.

* * *

"What was all that crap in there?" Wes asked his partner angrily as they made their way back to his car after counseling was over.

"What crap?" Travis asked tiredly.

"All that about Alex only wanting to be with me again because I was moving on. How did you even come up with that?"

He grit his teeth as Travis slammed the car door shut.

"It was just something Sophie brought up at the Banquet. And I think she's right."

Again, Wes was silent as he chewed over the words. "Sophie said that?"

"Yeah when we were dancing." Travis sighed heavily and straightened his shoulders. "Look, man, I'm sorry about kissing her—"

"We're not talking about it," Wes interrupted.

"It's our homework. You know she'll know if we don't do it."

"I don't care. I said we're not talking about it."

* * *

A couple weeks later Wes showed up on Sophie's doorstep unannounced. They hadn't spoken much since the Banquet and they both knew why. It was different from before. They hadn't casually stopped talking. There was a definite reason for it this time.

"What are you doing here?" she asked confused when she opened the door.

"I killed someone today," Wes said solemnly.

Sophie's face softened immediately and she let him in. They sat at the small table in her kitchen, neither speaking. Eventually, Sophie stood and poured Wes a glass of water.

"What happened?" she asked.

He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I had to," he groaned. "It was one of those him or me situations. I didn't have a choice."

She pulled a chair closer to his. She awkwardly leaned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I believe you," she whispered.

They sat like that for a while. She let her head rest on his shoulder, her forehead against his cheek. He hugged her back with one arm across her back. He replayed the scene in his head over and over again. He killed someone's son today. He might have even been a father.

"Do you have to talk to someone about it?" she asked. She knew how much he hated therapy.

He nodded against her head. "The Captain's making me do a private thing with Dr. Ryan."

She lifted her head and held his face in her hands. "Take it seriously," she pleaded. "It might help."

"The only time talking about things has helped me was when you and I sat on the beach," he admitted.

"We can do this about this too. But Dr. Ryan needs to know you'll be okay too. Have you talked to Travis about it?"

"Not really. He's never gone through this before."

It was another one of those moments where they just stared at each other. Her hands were still on his cheeks and his arm was rigid against her back, not wanting her to move away.

"It's awful to say," she began. "But I'm glad you did it. I don't know what I'd do if..." She stopped and smiled sadly. "If I have to say goodbye to you, I'd rather you still be alive and happy elsewhere."

She stood from her position, breaking his hold, and went to refill his glass. Her words held meaning. He knew she was telling him something important by the way she had looked at him.

It meant she was okay with letting him go if he would be happy. She wanted him to be happy even if it wasn't with her. Alex—she meant he'd be happy with Alex.

"You kissed Travis," he said suddenly as she placed the glass of water on the table again.

"Yeah, I did," she laughed a little. She moved backwards to lean against the counter. "Weird, huh?"

"We've kissed." Her eyes shot to his. They've never spoken of that. "Was that weird?"

She slowly shook her head no. He stood and walked to stand in front of her.

"We don't talk about it," she reminded him in a whisper.

"Why not?"

"You're with Alex now." He wasn't sure if that was her reason or another reminder.

"Not really," he too whispered.

"That's not a no."

"It's not a yes," he countered.

She pushed off the counter and walked away from him to her living room. She sat on the end of her sofa, avoiding his eyes as he followed her.

"Travis told me what you said. You think Alex only wants to be with me again because I was getting over her?" He stood far from her seated form and spoke loudly. He had a déjà vu feeling from his days as a lawyer.

"So?" she asked.

"So why weren't you the one to tell me that?"

"Because it's not my place."

"You're my friend," he argued.

"You wouldn't have listened anyway," she muttered.

"Yes I would've."

"No, you wouldn't. She's what you've been wanting since the day I met you and before. And it wouldn't have been right coming from me. I didn't want to sound jealous," she admitted. She hunched her shoulders to make herself smaller.

"Were you jealous?" he asked as he sat on the coffee table in front of her. His approach was suddenly gentler. He wasn't talking to a hostile witness, he was talking to Sophie—the woman who had been scared out of her wits just after her neighbor had been raped; the woman who had sought him out to protect her.

He saw her roll her eyes and gear up for defense. "You left me here, fearing for my life, to go to her. Believe me, Wes, _that_ told me everything I needed to know."

"What's that supposed to—?"

"It means if I'm not your first choice, I don't want to be an option." She turned her determined gaze away from him again. "I wasn't jealous. I was disappointed you couldn't see what she was doing."

* * *

**A/N: Go review! Tell me, how do you feel about Sophie? Honesty is appreciated. She's an OC so who cares if you don't like her. I'm simply curious. =] Who are you rooting for? Team Alex? Team Sophie? Review and let me know!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm sorry it's been so long since my last update. This chapter is relatively long, though, so be happy about that. =]**

**And holy smokes, people! Twenty-one reviews for the last chapter! That's amazing! Thanks to InsaneProcrastinator007, caseylu, lost1219, , Beth – Geek Chick, Kipplin Croft, rogue4ever, Ellie (x2), soccergurl382, SoLongNotGoodnight, LatinBookReader, Nikel's lover, Meatball42, WinchesterAngel3389, plus Anonymous (x6). You all blew my mind!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Common Law.**

* * *

**Chapter Five: The One Who Helped Him**

Once again Wes and Sophie had fallen out of touch with each other. After she had said..._that_ to him, he hadn't known what to do. She was disappointed in him for trying things out again with Alex? She wasn't jealous but she obviously didn't like that Alex was his supposed first choice. Was that even fair to say? _Was_ Alex his first choice? He hadn't been able to deny his attraction to Sophie, but yes, he had always hoped that he and Alex would one day get back together. He supposed Sophie was right, then.

The awkward goodbye that ended their last conversation had replayed in his mind over and over again. He shyly told her he was going; she walked him to her door, avoiding his eyes; they hugged because Sophie said something along the line of her being happy he wasn't dead.

And then...nothing. Radio silence, as it were. Dr. Ryan had tried to bring Sophie up in couples' counseling but Wes refused to cooperate. Travis had mentioned her once. It became abundantly clear that he and Sophie were becoming closer friends. Travis implied he knew what Sophie had told Wes. He also suggested—no, not suggested; he flat out said it—that Sophie wasn't in a good place. Something was happening with her work and she was still dealing with financial stress. Travis hinted she was having some emotional issues too. It was clear he thought Wes was the cause.

The detailed information Travis had given him about her—and this was a couple months after he had spoken to her—had Wes coming to the conclusion that Sophie had found someone new to talk to. She had replaced him. She had moved on.

And suddenly, the very thought of her bothered him. His mood would darken if he saw her name on Travis's cell or if he ever had to drive by her neighborhood or UCLA's campus. She was friends with his _partner_ now. He felt like that annoyed him more than seeing the two of them kiss... No, the kiss was still worse.

But it meant she had officially lost her loyalty to him. She was no longer a third party. That's what he had liked most about her. That and the way she could take his mind off of things. And, if he were to be completely honest, those twitches she brought about did make him feel sort of good—like he was alive, sexually, physically, mentally, for the first time in a long time. Her flirtatious attitude emphasized all of that.

* * *

He and Alex had finally, _finally_, slept together again. They had meant to wait but there was only so much tension either of them could take. But not everything was perfect between them.

She still hated that he was a cop. Getting into that shoot out where he ended it by killing the other man didn't help. She was just worried about him, he knew that, but it still bugged him that she couldn't just let it be. She had more power within the firm since she had won the case that helped bring them back together and she was always mentioning how easy it would be for him to get his old job back. It had been nearly a decade since he had become a cop. He was comfortable with it now. He was good at it, and honestly, he thought he'd miss it if he left.

* * *

One of the guys from couples' counseling got everyone tickets to a Lakers game after some big business deal he had made. He said he thought the therapy was really helping him in every area of his life, not just his marriage. It was his way of telling everyone he appreciated them. Wes had rolled his eyes. He would have never done anything like that. He didn't think therapy would ever make him feel that way.

Travis was excited about it. "Do you know how long it's been since I've been to a basketball game?" he would ask Wes nearly every day leading up to the event.

"Four years ago," Wes started answering monotonously. "Lakers versus Celtics."

It wasn't until Wes met everyone at the arena that he thought he knew the real reason Travis was so excited. He had brought Sophie. Wes was fifteen yards from the group of them. Travis appeared to be introducing her to the other group members. No one seemed surprised to see her. Was he the only one?

She hadn't noticed him yet—no one had. Travis had his back to him so he could easily glare holes into the back of his partner's skull. All she would have to do was turn her head slightly to her right and she would see him.

_Do it_, he begged of her even as he looked her over. Jeans, purple top, and a yellow cardigan—she looked well. She was smiling at everyone. Her lips—soft lips, he remembered—pulled back over her teeth as she laughed at something. She looked nothing like the hot mess he felt he was. Work, Alex, counseling, Travis—it was all weighing on him more than usual. And she was the final straw on the camel's back.

He was convinced that night would be the night he finally cracked.

Dr. Ryan was the first to spot him. He hadn't even known she was there. She waved him over to the group where everyone else was waiting.

The tension between him and Sophie was too much. He avoided her eyes after their initial hello.

"What is she doing here?" he hissed to his partner as they waited in line to have their tickets checked. "This was supposed to be a counseling group thing."

Travis looked over his shoulder to see Wes. "Chill out; I made sure everyone was cool with me bringing her before I asked."

"_Not me_," Wes reminded.

"That's because I knew you'd say no."

Wes clenched his jaw and made fists with his hands as they started to fidget.

"I'm surprised she wanted to come with me here."

"I told her she didn't have to be anywhere near you if she didn't want to be," Travis explained.

Wes looked ahead of them where Sophie was talking with Dr. Ryan. The stress of her being there made him want to pull his hair out. What was he supposed to do? They were hardly friends anymore. They hadn't seen or spoken to each other in three months. He was still with Alex; something he was sure she wouldn't like. But _she_ was now friends with Travis. If any one of them had the right to be upset with the other, _he_ did. She had _replaced_ him. She wasn't loyal to him anymore. She wasn't accepting of his relationship with his wife. Okay, ex-wife, technically. And she did essentially tell him she'd rather him be with Alex than dead...but that didn't mean she liked it. It was the lesser of the two evils in her eyes.

* * *

Sophie wasn't the world's best basketball fan but the environment was infectious. She cheered and jeered along with her fellow spectators. She did get a little bored about halfway through. It wasn't a very close game so it couldn't hold her attention for its entirety. Travis was seated between her and Wes, which Sophie felt didn't give her the space she really wanted from him.

She was making a statement by simply being there. She learned at an early age, mostly by advice from her mother, to never back down from an awkward or uncomfortable situation. They are tough to handle, but her mom had always promised she'd be better off for it in the end. It gave the impression that she was strong and able to stand up for herself.

That didn't mean her insides weren't going through a blitzkrieg of nerves and emotions. She wondered if he noticed how she would purposefully look over in his general direction to view him from the corner of her eye.

"It's great to finally meet you," the young woman sitting next to her said. "I feel like I've heard so much about you; it's nice to match a face with the name."

"Oh, thank you," Sophie said flattered. Her brow furrowed. "Wait, they've talked about me?"

"Oh, yes," another one of the women chimed in—this one the oldest in the group—by turning around in her chair in front of Sophie. "When Travis told us he had kissed you..." She looked to the lady sitting next to her. "That was quite a scandal."

"We were all so surprised," the other one added.

Sophie scoffed. "No more than I was, I'm sure. It was almost more surprising than Wes kissing me."

"_Wes kissed you?_" they both guffawed in unison.

Her eyes widened in embarrassment. "He never mentioned that?"

"No," the one next to her said with shaking her head and chuckling.

"So which one is the better kisser?" the one in front asked sneakily.

Sophie laughed but didn't answer.

"For the record, no one likes that he's back with his ex-wife."

"Oh, no," the woman in front of her agreed. "I don't understand why he got back together with her."

"He's always been in love with her," Sophie defended. "I think if they can work things out, she's probably the best thing for him."

"Well," the two women shared a look, "the way it sounds, things are still rocky. He's been in a bad mood the last few times he's shown up to group and Travis insists that he's not the cause."

"Who else could it be besides his ex?" asked the woman in the seat next to her.

"Ladies," came a British feminine voice from behind them. The three of them looked to Dr. Ryan sitting next to one of the husbands. "I'm sorry, but you're really not supposed to be discussing what happens in therapy with people who aren't members of the group."

They all nodded and turned back to the game. Sophie had a familiar gut feeling of having been admonished by mom. Travis turned to her and smiled, oblivious to the conversation she had just been involved in.

"Having fun?" he asked.

She nodded with a soft smile.

* * *

When the game was over Wes had the misfortune of having to witness Sophie climb onto the back of Travis's motorcycle and wrap her arms right around his midsection. He denied himself the feelings of jealousy that were trying to bubble up to the surface.

He drove to Alex's house. He wondered if he would be able to call it _his_ ever again.

He was already in a bad mood from the game. It was late. The image of Sophie and Travis kissing at the Banquet all those months ago had popped into his head on the way there which had pissed him off even more. He could feel himself on the verge of shaking from frustration and rage when he opened the fridge in search of a light snack.

When Alex brought up the firm...well, she never really stood a chance.

"Drop it, Alex!" he had shouted.

She was shocked. Her eyes were wide and her mouth snapped closed. He took a deep breath, trying to calm down. It was moot.

"I've told you over and over that I don't want my old job back. You're going to have to deal with me being a detective."

"What is your problem?" she asked a little defensively. She was still so surprised by his outburst that her tone was hesitant, gentle.

_Don't_, he thought. He was finally where he wanted to be. He and Alex were working things out. He and Travis were tolerating each other as much as he thought they'd ever be able to.

But Sophie... She was the wrench thrown into his plans. The unexpected. The unwanted. He shouldn't have ever accepted her invitation to dinner that first time. He should never have talked to her on the beach. He shouldn't have offered her the spare bed in his room. If it wasn't for her, things would be better, he was just so damn sure of it.

_Don't do it_, he begged himself.

He closed his eyes, clenching them tight. Lips that weren't really there were pressed against his. Sophie's lips. He was kissing her to get Lindsay to take the hint. Then he was lying in bed with her. It was a morph of real memories and dreams. The whisper of his name coming from her lips; her hand on his arm, anchoring them together when she was scared.

She was kissing Travis. They got on his bike, her breasts pressed to his back. They danced, they kissed. Travis made her laugh. That red dress...

"I can't do this," he finally said and made a beeline for the door.

"What do you mean you can't do this?" Alex called desperately. "What are you talking about?"

"This was a mistake," he answered. He pivoted on the stoop to face her. "I'm sorry."

"You—" She folded her arms over her chest and scoffed. "You're breaking up with me?"

"It's not working, Alex."

"Because I want you to be a lawyer again? Because I want to know you're safe? Because I don't like worrying all day about getting a call from the captain saying you're dead?" she yelled. Tears formed in her eyes quickly.

"I have to be a cop. I know that's tough for you. We aren't able to move past it though, so...here we are!" He threw his arms out wide.

She scoffed again. "Unbelievable."

"Good night, Alex." He turned and made his way to his car in the driveway.

"Good bye, Wes!" He heard the door slam.

Good bye—it was more final than what he'd offered her. When he pulled out to the end of the drive, he paused to look at the house. It never would be his again.

* * *

Wes wouldn't call Sophie. He didn't even tell Travis he had ended things with Alex because he didn't want it to get around to her. He wasn't in the mood for her. He didn't want her sympathetic tone or smile or hug. He didn't want to see her. He still felt like she had betrayed him.

* * *

"Hey, man," Travis began one day a month or so later. "What do you think I should get Sophie for her birthday?"

They were seated at their desks. Wes was looking through old police records on his computer for information on his suspect. He turned suddenly to his partner.

"When's her birthday?" he asked.

He still hadn't spoken to her. He had been expecting a call after he finally told Travis he had broken things off with Alex but he never got one. It was possible Travis never told Sophie, but the more likely reason for her not calling was that she just didn't want to. They weren't close anymore. They weren't friends. It made him angrier.

"Thursday," he answered.

Wes rolled his eyes. It was Tuesday. Travis never planned ahead.

"She told me she wanted to learn how to shoot a gun," he continued. "I feel like I'm supposed to get her jewelry, though, or clothes. What size do you think she is?"

"How would I know that?" Wes asked annoyed.

Travis shrugged. "I figured you'd have an eye for that kind of thing."

That was the last they spoke of her.

* * *

The Monday night after her birthday Wes went to Sophie's house unannounced.

She opened the door silently, waiting for him to explain himself.

"Alex and I are done," he said.

"I know."

So he had been right; she didn't call him because she didn't care. Or she just didn't want to talk to him.

"Happy birthday."

Her eyebrows rose. "My present is that you and Alex aren't together?"

He smiled. "No. Get your keys."

"Why?" she asked slowly. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"I'm taking you to your birthday present."

"Wes, I don't really have time—"

"Look, Sophie, I'm sorry that we haven't been keeping in touch and I know a lot of that is on me. But come on, we were good friends once. Let me give you your present."

"Okay, to be clear, I'm pretty sure us not talking is entirely on you," she insisted.

"You kissed my partner!" he argued.

She looked off to her right and bit the inside of her cheek. Her face flinched and she nodded. "Yeah, alright."

He smiled, proud of his little victory. "Good. Can you get your keys now?"

She reached for her purse on the console table next to her after rolling her eyes. He was mildly surprised she hadn't put up more of a fight.

"Where are we going?"

But he wouldn't tell her. They were silent the whole drive until he pulled into the parking lot of the shooting range.

"You know Travis took me here on Thursday, right?" she asked.

He hadn't known. Travis never told him.

"It was Travis which means you still haven't learned to shoot."

His ears rang as her laugh reached them.

* * *

"So what happened with you and Alex?" Sophie asked as Wes was loading bullets into a twenty-two in the empty shooting range.

"I'm a cop; she doesn't like that," he said with a nonchalant shrug. He didn't want to talk about Alex. He hung up a target sheet and held the button for the pulley to pull it away from them.

"I don't really get that," Sophie admitted.

"No?"

"No. Cops are hot." Wes smirked and peeked up at her. "Or they're douche bags." She smiled at him. "Guess which one you are."

"In your eyes? Probably a bit of both." He loaded the clip and cocked the gun.

"More of one than the other."

The way she said it he figured he was still in the proverbial dog house with her.

He taught her some of the basics of handling a gun. She knew it all already though. Apparently Travis hadn't completely failed her. He let her shoot a few round before he corrected her stance a little. She emptied two clips of the twenty-two before he handed her a thirty-eight. He was surprised by how little she was able to control the recoil. He almost didn't give her the forty-five to shoot but she got so excited when she saw the gun. Travis had only given her a nine millimeter. She really wanted to try the forty-five.

"Whoa," Sophie gasped when she held the gun at the target. "It's so heavy."

Wes braced himself next to her and wrapped his right hand around her hands on the gun to help her hold on it. The last thing he wanted was a gun flying through the air.

The shot was loud, louder than the others. She was able to hold onto the gun but he hadn't been able to counteract the recoil as well as he would have liked. She laughed giddily regardless after the first shot. He wrapped his left arm around her shoulders and grabbed hold of her forearm before she pulled the trigger again. The recoil wasn't as bad that time. She quickly emptied the gun.

"That's so awesome!" she shouted. She turned her head to show her smile.

They were so close. He hadn't meant for this. He hadn't brought her there for that reason. He just wanted his friendship back. After much reflection over the weekend he realized he just missed her. He had fun with her. He wanted to have fun again.

But now... A twitch of arousal. Oh, God, how he missed those. Her smile faded as her pupils dilated to focus on him. She hadn't expected him to be as close as he was either.

But just as his eyes dropped to her lips she turned away.

They were silent in the car again.

* * *

He walked her to her door.

"This was fun," she said.

"Yeah it was. I'm glad you liked it," he agreed. He shoved his hands into his pockets as she found her keys in her purse. "Maybe later this week we could get dinner?"

She unlocked her door and smiled as she stepped inside. It wasn't a happy smile. Something about it was off.

"Yeah," she said softly with a nod. She held onto the edge of the door and looked at him with an emotion he wasn't used to seeing on her. "I need to talk to you about some stuff. How about Wednesday? After my class gets out? I'll meet up with you at seven."

"Okay." He smiled but he wasn't sure it looked genuine.

Regret—that's what he thought he saw in her stare. Regret, sadness, maybe some sympathy too. She had been so happy earlier before he had nearly kissed her. He must have crossed a line. That must be what she wants to talk to him about at dinner, to set boundaries for their friendship. He was okay with that, he supposed. He just wanted her back in his life again. It didn't matter the capacity.

But that wasn't what she wanted to talk about.

* * *

Dinner on Wednesday was much like their first dinner together before Alex had cut it short. Really, she had ended it before it had started. It was a little awkward between them. Wes had complimented her attire; a black dress that made his mouth go dry. It was cruel, he thought, her wearing that. She was going to tell him they could only be friends and she looked like that.

"So what was it you wanted to talk about?" he asked as their salads were placed in front of them. Best to get it over with.

"Oh, um," Sophie struggled. "I thought you should know...I almost wasn't sure if I should tell you since we hadn't talked in so long but since Monday..." She was rambling. He wanted to smile but she seemed stressed. She took a noticeable breath—and he definitely noticed the rising of her chest. "I'm moving."

His mind went blank. It wasn't at all what he was expecting she'd say. He'd thought maybe she had started seeing someone—Travis, maybe. But moving? She was moving?

"Where?" he asked finally.

"Florida."

"_Florida?_"

She nodded and diverted her eyes. She was sad about it.

"Why Florida?" he asked. "Why now? You just moved here." His tone wasn't as gentle as he would have liked it to be. It sounded like he was accusing her of something.

"Rumors were going around the department that the school was going to cut funding. People were going to be let go so I started sending my resume out just to be safe. The University of Florida offered me a job. It's better pay, so I accepted," she explained. "They have a great science program there."

"Were you let go?" he asked of her current job.

"I resigned before they could do that. I figured by voluntarily leaving I could save someone else's job there."

"But you just moved here," he said again. This time his voice was softer, more of a plea.

She shrugged. "It's been nearly a year."

_That's not that long_, Wes thought.

"Career-wise, I think this is a smart move for me," she continued. "And I kind of like that I'm moving around. I always wanted to travel and live in different places. I thought I would be here longer, that's why I bought a house, but I'm not—" she stopped herself suddenly. Again, she took a noticeable breath. It was more of a huff this time. "I didn't think I had a reason to stay."

There it was again. She meant more than what she had said. The meaningful gaze that told him to read between the lines. He was supposed to have given her a reason to stay. He remembered Travis telling him Sophie had been having emotional issues and problems at work. If Wes had been more present, a better friend, if he hadn't gotten back with Alex then maybe something would have happened with Sophie—maybe that would have been enough for her to decide to stay. She could have looked for another job nearby if she did end up being let go from UCLA.

Aside from asking each other how their meals were, they didn't speak much more during dinner. They walked out of the restaurant to their cars silently side by side.

"When are you leaving?" Wes asked when they paused by her car. He was staring at his keys in his hand.

"Two weeks from Saturday," she answered quietly. "I'm going to miss you," she added kindly.

He looked up and smiled half-heartedly. "Does Travis know?"

"Yeah, he's known for a while." Wes's eyebrows raised in surprised. "I asked him not to mention it to you."

"Why would you do that?" he questioned slightly hurt.

"You seemed to be getting along so well with Alex from what I had seen at the Banquet. I didn't want to be a reason you weren't spending time with her," she confessed.

But she was lying. He didn't know how he knew exactly, he just did. It might have been what Travis had told him she'd said about her not trusting Alex's timing after the Banquet. It might have been the way she had insisted she wasn't jealous when he'd confronted her about it. Or it might have been the way she was looking at his shoulder, avoiding his eyes as she gave her excuse.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"For what?" Her eyes shifted to his in confusion.

"I haven't talked to you. I haven't hung out with you. I got back together with Alex and just—"

Tears began pooling at the corners of her eyes which stopped his apology.

"What?" he asked mildly horrified at her emotional reaction.

She shook her head quickly and shut her eyes. "Nothing. It's nothing." She hugged him suddenly, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. "I missed you."

He hugged her back just as tight. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

* * *

Sophie and Wes caught up on each other's lives as Wes helped her pack up her house into boxes over the next two weeks. Travis had been allowed to help one night but after Sophie witnessed the complete and utter chaos which was the way Travis packed, she banished him from helping. From then on, it was only her and Wes. It worked out well since Wes was a master organizer and Sophie desperately wanted order to the madness of moving. Also, Wes was happy to have Sophie to himself.

The awkwardness between them from residual hurt feelings passed quickly and they were able to fall back into the same happy friendship they had before. He thought he had ruined that one night though. It had already been decided he would stay at her place that night since it was so late and they were still packing some things up. They ended up falling onto the couch next to each other well after midnight when they finally called it quits for the day. Sophie slumped against his shoulder so he wrapped his arm around her.

"It's going to be weird without you, now," he admitted to break the silence.

"You'll get over it soon enough," she replied.

"And if I don't?"

"Then I will forever be the one that got away," she teased with a laugh.

He lifted her head with his right hand by cupping her cheek. "I should have done more for you," he said softly.

She cocked her head, incidentally leaning into his hand, as she smiled patronizingly. "You did plenty for me. You're helping me pack up all my stuff in a super neurotic fashion."

"Did you ever think something could have happened between us?" he wondered.

She laughed and pulled away from him. "Are you really asking _me_ that?"

"What do you mean?"

"You want to know if I ever wanted a relationship with you?" she asked for clarification.

"Yeah; or if you thought we could have worked out?"

She laughed again. "You're not really serious are you?"

He felt a bit foolish then. Perhaps he was the only one that had ever felt anything. But then...

"I flirted with you _constantly_," she stressed. "Of course I wanted something to happen."

"What?" he asked, breaking out into a smile. "Why didn't you ever say anything?"

"Well I wasn't exactly subtle!" she laughed. "I figured you didn't want to be with me because you were still in love with Alex."

It was true that his was in love with her, but he had certainly been very attracted to Sophie.

"You were fun to flirt with, though, so I kept doing it," she added.

"How?"

"You blush," she said. "And you laugh."

"That's fun for you?" he asked unsure.

She nodded earnestly. "It would have been more fun if you had flirted back but you get what you get, I suppose." She sighed heavily. "It's probably a good thing you never did flirt back, though."

"Why's that?"

"With that voice of yours? I would have been putty in your hands."

"My voice?" Wes said, now very conscious of his tone.

"It's deep and sexy," she explained, smirking. She was flirting with him again.

He hesitated, smirking himself. "Sexy?" he asked slowly as he leaned closer to her. "You think my voice is sexy?"

All he had to do was talk? If he had known that...

Her smile widened as she caught on to him. She nodded and watched him move closer to her on the couch.

"What exactly does it do to you?" he asked slowly, not being able to help his smile.

"Sends shivers down my spine," she laughed, leaning further away from him. She exaggerated a shiver for him to see.

"You're not the putty you promised me," he accused.

"Because I know it's not real," she said, still chuckling lightly. "You don't want me to be putty."

"Sure I do." He sat up straight again and looked away from her. "You weren't the only one who wanted something to happen."

A moment of silent passed through them.

"So why didn't _you_ ever say anything?" she asked quietly.

"I didn't think you really wanted it. I thought you were just...kidding around," he said.

"What would you have done if you knew?" she asked. He looked back at her. "I mean, you still wanted to be with Alex... Where would that have left me?"

"I don't know," he confessed in a whisper. He wished he hadn't. Her down-trodden expression was only there for a moment before she hid it, but he knew he had hurt her again. "I probably would have kissed you more than just once." A side of her mouth twitched up. "I wouldn't have let Travis kiss you. I would have taken you to the Banquet."

She shook her head and sighed. "Oh, what might have been," she said whimsically.

"Yeah," he agreed.

Then he went for it. What did he have to lose?

He kissed her. And sweet Mother of God, she kissed him back.

"We shouldn't," she said in a short parting of lips.

But he continued on anyway and she didn't fight him on it. He pulled her to lay under him when their tongues met. She pressed her chest into his and he was reminded of an old dream.

And he couldn't help feeling that it just felt so _right_. Her nails scratched lightly at his shoulder blades as one of his hands slid down to her waist, lifted her shirt so he could wrap his arm around her and feel the warm, bare skin of her back. It was such a heated and passionate kiss for so many minutes that he could have easily let himself get carried away. But he allowed himself to slow down and she accepted his pace with a deep kiss. Eventually they stopped and he held himself above her on the small sofa.

"We should have been doing more of that starting a long time ago," she declared in a whisper.

He laughed and pulled himself up to sit. His smile and mirth quickly dissipated as he thought of her not being around to do that for much longer.

"I wish we would have had this talk months ago," he admitted. "Now you're leaving."

Sophie sat up as well and ran her hand through her hair with a sigh. "Yeah, I am. I guess it would be a mistake to take things any further. It would only make it harder to say goodbye."

Wes nodded although he hated to agree with her in this instance.

* * *

The day that Sophie was leaving arrived all too soon. Travis and Wes helped her load up her car with clothes and various boxes as the moving company's employees loaded her furniture into the back of their truck.

"Don't get your car stolen," Travis told her as he hugged her. "And remember to call if you ever get in trouble with the police down there. Right, Wes?"

"Yeah," he agreed distantly.

"Okay," Sophie chuckled. "Thanks for helping out. I'll miss you."

His partner stepped towards her car in the pretense of checking her tires and making sure all the doors were shut securely.

"Well," she began aimlessly. They stared silently at each other before Wes stepped forward to hug her. "I want to tell you something," she began, speaking into his chest. "It's okay for you to be with Alex. I know things are hard for you two, but she was your wife, Wes. If you feel like things could still work between you, I think you should give it a try. Maybe Dr. Ryan could help you guys."

"Don't talk about Alex, alright?" he begged. "It's not about her right now."

They pulled away from each other's embrace but neither stepped back.

"Okay, well then I want to tell you to not listen to Travis or anyone else who starts giving you a hard time about moving on from her. You should do it at your own pace."

"Sophie," he distracted her. "It's not about her right now," he repeated. He leaned forward only slightly but was able to catch her lips for a quick, but hard kiss. "You've helped me so much." His voice was quiet and his eyes were closed.

"Good," she said simply.

"Don't you want to know how?"

"No; just knowing that I've helped you is enough."

He smiled, opened his eyes, and leaned back to get a good look at her.

"I'll call you," he promised. "We'll keep in touch."

She appeared to grimace. "Call if you really need someone to talk to. Don't hold on to me, okay?" He shook his head, hurt and confused. "I'm so happy I met you," she began to explain. "I'm happy I was able to be in your life for this past year, but I'm leaving now and you should find someone else to be friends with like this. It'll be too hard to be like this long distance."

Once again he begrudgingly agreed with her.

"I better get going," she said.

They hugged one last time. She shared an embrace with Travis and got in her car. She drove off with a soft wave of her fingers.

"Are you going to be okay?" Travis asked when her car and the moving truck turned out of sight.

Wes inhaled the fresh warm air deep into his lungs.

"Yeah," he answered. "Lunch?"

* * *

**A/N: This was supposed to be the end of the story. Remember, I set out to write a fic about Wes moving on from Alex and the woman who helped him do it. I never promised they would end up together. But I got so many TEAM SOPHIE reviews that I've been playing with the idea of writing more for this story. I like this ending though. It feels very complete to me. I'm not sure how I would end it if I kept it going. So for right now, I'm leaving it as is. I might add more later on though. **

**Review and let me know your thoughts on it! I hope you've all been enjoying this story! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews as well.**


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